1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related generally to the fields of boat hull construction and fish holders, also known as live wells.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Fishermen, particularly in fishing tournaments, face the problem of getting to a favorite fishing location as quickly as possible in a power boat carrying live bait, catching as many fish as possible within a limited time period, and returning to the point of departure as quickly as possible with the caught fish still alive.
The use of live wells in fishing boats in order to keep bait and/or caught fish alive is common. The problem of preserving bait and/or caught fish in the live wells is particularly acute when a large number are held therein. Obviously, the water gives up oxygen quickly when there are many fish confined in a small area. Therefore, if the fisherman desires to preserve his catch alive, it is imperative that the water in the live wells be constantly fresh or continuously aerated so that the fish have sufficient oxygenated water to pass through their gills without becoming suffocated. Many types of live wells exist in the prior art to aid fishermen in preserving their catch. However, all prior art devices have one or more disadvantages which are overcome by the present invention. For example, portable live wells which are placed inside the boat may upset the balance of the boat while the live well is being shunted about. Fixed live wells that straddle the longitudinal center line of a boat hull overcome this problem of possible imbalance. Such centered live wells for providing better balance in motor-driven boats are old, as seen in German Patentschrift No. 24,746. One type of centered live well is a live well integral with the top liner of a boat hull. A good example of a live well integral with the top liner of a boat hull is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,871,043. However, such integral assemblies often have other disadvantages in delivering water to the live well. For example, an internal live well system having water inlet ports at the front, sides, or bottom of the boat, although satisfactory for slow-moving boats, create a substantial drag while a high speed boat is traveling. Ports at the rear are the only satisfactory water inlet locations for a high speed boat.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,151,225 and 2,936,542 show internal live well systems with ports at the rear of a motor-driven boat but there is some drag produced around the inlets of both systems while the boat is traveling. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,151,225, the water inlet is submerged near the base of a marine motor hung over the rear of the boat. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,936,542, the water inlet is in a scoop which extends from the rear of the boat.
The present invention produces no drag around the inlet port to the internal live well system because the port is located in the wall at the rear of the high speed boat. However, a siphon effect would be created through the rear port when the boat is traveling at high speed if the port is not closed before the boat begins to travel. This problem is overcome by placing a cut-off control valve in the pipeline system just inside the rear port in order to cut off the flow of water before the boat begins to travel.
Another problem exists in prior art devices in keeping an internal live well constantly replenished with oxygenated water in order to preserve the bait and/or caught fish. For example, the above mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 2,936,542 utilizes a scoop to draw in water to be aerated in the internal live well system while the boat is traveling and utilizes a compressed air container to oxygenate the water in the live well while the boat is sitting still. However, if the compressed air tank empties and there are no extra containers on board, as may happen on a long fishing trip, there is no way to keep the water in the live well fresh while the boat is sitting still except by hand dipping and dumping the water over the side of the boat.
The present invention overcomes the problem of keeping the live well constantly replenished with oxygenated water while the boat is either traveling or sitting still. The above mentioned cut-off control valve is shut while the boat is traveling so that the pump in the pipeline system constantly recirculates water to be aerated to each live well. The cut-off control valve is open while the boat is sitting still so that the pump constantly circulates fresh water between each live well and the body of water in which the boat is sitting.